The elements of analysing fiction

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Transcript of The elements of analysing fiction

The elements of analysing fictionPlotPlot is what happens and in what way in a piece of fiction.ThemeSettingAnalysis and interpretationIt relates to the structure of the ACTION and the CONFLICTchronologicalthings happen in their natural order like in real life. a --> b --> c --> dIn medias resThe action begins without us having an introductionb --> c --> dFlashbackThe story jumps back in time. b --> a --> c Flash-forwardThe story jumps ahead and shows what happens in the future. a --> c --> bEndingsCan be OPEN or CLOSEDA central message, concern, or insight into life expressed through a literary work

Can be expressed by a one or two sentence statement about human beings or about lifeMay be stated directly or impliedInterpretation uncovers the themeA specific place at a certain time in a specific social contextSettingPlaceLocationPhysicalAtmosphereMoodFeelingsWord choiceWeatherTimeLifeEraHistoryDayCharactersProtagonistthe main characterAntagonistthe opposite of the protagonistMinor charactersoften not described in detail. Their function is to interact with the main characterFlat characterone-dimensional, simplified, static (no development)Rounded characterA complex character. Usually undergoes a developmentCharacterizationA writer reveals what a character is like and how the character changes throughout the story.

Direct characterizationDirect- writer tells us what the character is like

Indirect characterizationwriter shows what a character is like by describing what the character looks like, by telling what the character says and does, and by what other characters say about and do in response to the character.

Point of viewLanguageDialogue

The story will change perspective according to who the storyteller is.

In fiction: someone is always telling us the story. = the narrator

The author chooses what point of view (POV) the narrator will use to tell the story. First-person POVA first-person narrator is good at creating an atmosphere of intimacy. (Almost like reading someone's diary or mind).

Important to distinguish between the author (forfatteren) and the narrator (fortælleren) Third-person POVThe narrator is not identified. The tone is less personal and more objective. Unlike the first-person narrator, the third-person narrator is outside the story, and is telling the story from a distance.functions as a camera Third-person omniscient POVOmniscient = all-knowing The narrator knows everything about the character, places, events and past and present situations. can be restricted: tells the reader about some of the characters' emotions and thoughts, but omits the emotions of other characters. First-person plural POV

The first-person narrator is usually singular ("I") but may be plural ("we"). The events are viewed through the collective or communal mindset. The unreliable narratorAnother version of the first-person narrator. The narrator presents a version of events that is at odds with reality

Usually the reader will find out gradually and especially towards the ending of the story that the narrator has been distorting the facts